Life of the Party
by Insert New Name Here
Summary: Asuna is heartbroken. Again. When her friends force her to go to a nightclub for the first time in her life, despite coming in with low expectations, she finds that she rather enjoys being there. So she keeps going. She doesn't go for for the atmosphere, drinks or dancing, though. No, she goes there for one thing, and one thing alone: its enigmatic owner, Kazuto Kirigaya. Kirisuna
1. Chapter 1: The Nightclub

Life of the Party

Chapter One: The Nightclub

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**A/N:**

**This was completely unexpected! I typed this up in less than a collective three hours of editing time! I actually started earlier today, just after I published the latest chapter of Passive Versus Active!**

**Well, that's beside the point. I must apologize for not having updated anything else before publishing this, but hey, inspiration hit me like a tidal wave! What was I supposed to do?**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoy your read! See ya at the bottom!**

* * *

The obnoxious cacophony of sounds known as the newest pop song did little to comfort me as I sat at the table with my friends, gulping down shot after shot of some liquor that I couldn't remember the name of. Normally, I wouldn't have ordered so much alcohol, what with my amazing tolerance for the cursed drink, but I wasn't paying. So I figured, 'who gives a toss?'

I was currently sitting at a far-off table in the town's best nightclub, the _Life of the Party_. The experience had been less than fun for me so far, and it didn't look like it would get better any time soon. I still had yet to feel even slightly tipsy, despite the strength of whatever alcohol I had been downing nonstop.

"Wow, look at her go!" someone said from the table next to us, pointing shamelessly at me. His buddies laughed at his next comment. "That chick's downed at least ten shots of Russian Vodka, and she doesn't even look tipsy!"

I turned to the man who said that, giving them a hard look that said, 'I'm still sober enough to beat the crap out of you.' That shut him up, and he turned back to his own table to converse with his friends once more. Satisfied, I turned back to my twelfth shot, downing it in one gulp.

"How are you not even a little drunk yet?" _Blunt as ever, Liz._

I shrugged my shoulders, pouring another shot from the bottle we had bought. Even Liz hadn't anticipated that my tolerance for alcohol would be this high.

_Too bad for her_, I found myself thinking wryly. _Since she's the one who's paying tonight. I'm almost done with this bottle, so soon it'll be time for another one._

The song changed, turning to a fast-paced dance song. All of a sudden, Liz swiftly turned her head to me, her pink-dyed hair bouncing slightly. One look in her eyes was all it took to discern her plans. I immediately shook my head feverishly, not even giving her a chance to ask.

"Oh, come on!" Liz said dramatically, pulling me up. "You've got to get over him! Just get out there and ask someone to dance!"

I shook my head once, twice, and thrice more. The motion caused my other friend, who had been silent the whole time we had been at this nightclub, to look up from her book. I looked over at her desperately, pleading with my eyes for her to try to dissuade Liz from her goal of making me dance with a complete stranger.

"You know, Liz is right," my other friend, Shino Asada, said, effectively abandoning me. "You need to get over him _and_ that no-talking-after-breakups habit of yours. Just go out there, find someone and ask them to dance. It's not going to kill you."

I sighed inaudibly, weighing my options. I could do as they say and probably end up dancing with some creep who would want nothing more than to get me in bed with him, I could defy my friends' orders and stay where I currently sat, or I could get up, go into the crowd, and head straight to the bathroom to hide out until it was time to go.

_That last one seems like a relatively good plan. Let's go with that one._

I slowly got up, eliciting a 'go get 'em!' from Liz. Sinon appeared to be satisfied as well, for she immediately turned her spectacled gaze back down to her book and continued reading. I frowned, feeling guilty for silently lying to them.

I began walking into the middle of the crowd, trying to remember where the bathrooms were located. If I wanted to fool Liz and Shino, I knew I would have to go right through the dance floor before finding them. _I just hope no one notices me and asks me to dance._

But of course, fate was never so kind. In the middle of my trek to the bathrooms, as I tried my damnedest to be unnoticeable, I heard a smooth, masculine voice say, "You know, if you're trying to look inconspicuous, you're not doing a very good job of it."

I looked over to the source, finding a man a little taller than I was, with ebony hair, steel-gray eyes, and a well-toned, though not overly-muscular, body structure.

I gave him a look that said, 'don't talk to me,' but the man ultimately ignored it. He smiled, walking too close to me for comfort.

"Let me guess," he whispered in my ear, making me shiver with fear. "You're looking for the bathrooms?"

He backed away, grinning broadly as he watched my face turn three shades of red. However, despite his wide grin, his eyes told a completely different story about his emotions. Before you ask, _no_, there was no lust in his eyes. Only…

Sadness.

It was intriguing, to say the least. Everything else about him alluded to happiness, bliss, being filled to the brim with positive energy. But then, when I looked into his eyes, I saw nothing but sorrow, emptiness, and even a hint of self-loathing. And yet, despite the sad vibes she got from his eyes, he didn't seem bitter in the slightest.

He must have noticed me staring, because he averted his eyes, pointing to my left. "The bathrooms are that way."

I nodded my head in thanks, going in the direction he pointed, and was relieved to see the bathrooms in the distance. I looked behind me, finding the man to be gone. Of course, it was only then that I realized something very odd.

_How did he know that I wanted to get to the bathrooms?_

* * *

After only five minutes, the guilt overwhelmed me. There was no way I could just wait there all night, deceiving them into thinking I was dancing with some total stranger. _Unless it was that guy I met… no! I don't even know him! He could be a rapist, for all I know!_

I sighed as I exited the stall I had been occupying. _But… he didn't seem like one. He seemed so… sad… underneath that smile._

After exiting the bathroom, I made a beeline for the table my friends were sitting at. When I got close enough to see them, though, I felt my face go pale.

There were three older men there, all of them sporting lustful expressions. Both of my friends looked very nervous, and I instantly knew what was about to happen. Before I could go and intervene, however, I felt a hand on my right shoulder. Then, I heard a familiar voice once again whisper in my ear.

"Those girls your friends?"

I turned to face the man beside me, nodding timidly. He got the message, and for the first time since I met him, I saw him make a frown. "Give me a second. I'll take care of this."

He walked over to the three men, saying something to them. I couldn't hear him over the loud music, but whatever he said obviously made them angry, as proven when two of the men's lustful expressions turned to ones of anger. The third, however, had a very smug look still plastered on his face. But then, after my ebony-haired acquaintance pulled something out of his jacket pocket, his look changed to one of fear.

_What's he doing…?_ I thought, watching as he continued to speak. The faces of them men he was addressing grew whiter and whiter, until they finally got up and left for the door. _What just happened?_

Once they had all left, he put whatever he had shown them back in his jacket pocket, then turned to face me. He waved for me to come to the table, and when I walked over, he smiled broadly once again. Even so, his eyes remained ever-sorrowful.

"Asuna, you'll never guess what just happened!" Liz shouted, though her voice still seemed somewhat quiet compared to the sound of the music. "This guy just saved us from a bunch of thugs!"

She pointed the ebony-haired man, who rubbed the back of his neck, smiling embarrassedly. He quickly recovered, his smile returning to its normal, cheery form. "Nah, it was nothing. After all, you're her friends," he said, pointing to me. "Right?"

"Wait…" Shino spoke up, looking between us curiously. "Do you two know each other?"

I feverishly shook my head, still refusing to talk. The man next to me seemed to explain things just fine, so why should I break my tradition?

"No, we just met on the dance floor earlier," he explained, tactfully leaving out the fact that I was looking for the restrooms. "We didn't even exchange names. She's not much of a talker, is she?"

"W-well," Liz started, looking down at her lap. "She's not usually like this."

He looked down, seemingly deep in thought for a few seconds. Then, he looked up, an expression that said, 'Oh, that makes sense!' on his face. "Oh, I get it. She just broke up with someone, right?"

All eyes at the table turned to him in shock, including my own. He must have seen the small amount of pain in mine, for the next thing he said was, "Sorry, did I strike a nerve?"

There was no malice or sarcasm in his voice. Only genuine concern, the same kind that now crossed his facial features. Not wanting to make him feel bad, I quickly shook my head. He sighed in relief, eliciting a silent giggle from me. _He's just like a little kid._

"Wait, how did you figure that out?" Shino queried, her book long forgotten on the table.

He closed his eyes, a serene expression coming across his face. "I've been going here a long time. It's almost like it's my home," he said, his serene smile somehow calming me. "And when you're at home, you tend to notice anything and everything that stands out, right? Well, it's kind of like that. I've had a lot of fun just watching interesting people from afar, and in the process, I've learned how to tell when something's off about them. I can tell a lot about a person by how they act, what they do, and who they hang out with here."

I just stared at this man, a look of awe stuck on my features. When he opened his eyes, however, I quickly looked away, a blush growing on my cheeks. _What's wrong with me?!_

"Anyway, I don't think I've introduced myself, have I?" he queried rhetorically, giving us a blinding smile. "My name's Kazuto Kirigaya."

Liz decided to speak up for us, being the most talkative one of our little group. "I'm Rika, but my friends call me Liz," she said before pointing to Shino. "This is Shino. It's a wonder she hasn't started reading again. And finally, the one you met earlier is—"

"Asuna!"

All eyes turned to me, surprised at my sudden outburst. I was just as shocked as they were, honestly; I wasn't planning to talk for several days at least. Even so, I had to finish my introduction. "T-that's my name."

At this, Kazuto gave me the happiest smile I had seen him give all night. "Asuna, eh? Nice name! I'll remember that one."

"Why?" I queried, further startling my friends.

"Because you're interesting," he told me before looking at his watch. When he looked back up, his eyes widened considerably. "Ah, man! I've gotta get over there! Sorry, but I have to go…"

He got up from his seat at the table, (_when did he even sit down?_) giving Shino and Liz smiles before turning to me. "Hey, do you think we could all meet up here again?"

The question caught me completely off guard. "I-I don't know—"

"Next Saturday at eight! We'll be here!" Liz shouted, startling all of us. Shino looked at Liz as if the pinkette had gone mad, and I did nothing but stare in shock at my friend's audacity.

"Sweet!" Kazuto said, giving us a thumbs-up. "Well, I'll be seeing you!"

With that, he left our tables, bidding us goodnight.

* * *

It had apparently snowed since we had gone in the _Life of the Party_, for when we exited the building, we were greeted with white all around us. _So pretty…_

"Hey, do either of you think his name sounded familiar?" Liz said from my left, sporting one of her rarer looks: one of contemplation.

"I feel like I heard it on the news somewhere…" Shino said from my right, pulling her face out of her book once more. "Why?"

"I dunno, it seems like he's famous or something…" Liz replied. Not a second later, her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Guys, I just remembered where I heard his name!"

"Where?" I asked her, all reservations about talking gone thanks to Kazuto.

"It was on the news last week! Kazuto Kirigaya is the name of the new owner of the _Life of the Party_! He's the one who made the renovations to the place that made it more popular!"

"What?!"

* * *

**A/N:**

**So, how was that? Like it? Hate it? I hope you'll be able to tell me what you thought of this in a review!**

**I guess that's all I have to say! Here's the disclaimer!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything I use from them!**

**See you later!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Club Demon

Life of the Party

Chapter Two: The Club Demon

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**A/N:**

**With this chapter, the word count for this story already exceeds five-thousand!**

**Anyway, I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the first chapter. You guys are amazing, and you're what pushed me and my inspiration through the roof until I finished this chapter!**

**Which reminds me, I think this might be my primary focus for a while. The words just flow so easily, and it's really a nice change of pace to write something that isn't action-based.**

**Well, I guess that's it for this note! I hope you enjoy the chapter, and I'll see you at the bottom!**

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_"Hey, do either of you think his name sounded familiar?" Liz said from my left, sporting one of her rarer looks: one of contemplation._

_"I feel like I heard it on the news somewhere…" Shino said from my right, pulling her face out of her book once more. "Why?"_

_"I dunno, it seems like he's famous or something…" Liz replied. Not a second later, her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets. "Guys, I just remembered where I heard his name!"_

_"Where?" I asked her, all reservations about talking gone thanks to Kazuto._

_"It was on the news last week! Kazuto Kirigaya is the name of the new owner of the __Life of the Party__! He's the one who made the renovations to the place that made it more popular!"_

_"What?!"_

* * *

Liz's car had just arrived at the _Life of the Party_, with only her and I inside of it. Shino apparently had something to do, so she couldn't make it. Thus, Liz had picked me up (I had no car), and we had headed straight for the nightclub.

"What are you so nervous for?" Liz queried, looking at me with a playful smirk as she opened her door.

"I-I'm not nervous!" I shouted, voice quite contrary to my words.

_What's wrong with me today?! _I thought angrily as I fumbled with my jacket's zipper. _I'm twenty-two! I shouldn't be acting like some lovesick schoolgirl!_

My eyes widened slightly at my mental statement. They shut tight immediately afterwards, and I shook my head to rid myself of the foolish thoughts that had been plaguing my brain as of late. _There's no such thing, there's no such thing, there's no such thing, there's no such…_

This is the mantra I had forced myself to come up with and keep repeating all week. No such thing as what, you ask? Love at first sight, obviously. I had fallen for all of my exes gradually, so there was no way I'd fall for a total stranger in just one night. All I felt for him was gratitude because he saved my friends…

Or at least, that's what I kept telling myself.

"You notice that what you're saying and how you're acting contradict each other," Liz said smugly, watching with an amused smile as I continued to try (and fail) to zip up my jacket.

In case you hadn't figured it out already, it was Saturday. The very same Saturday that Liz had promised Kazuto we would meet up with him again. The time on my watch read 7:58, and I finally realized the gravity of what I was about to do.

_I'm about to go meet up with the owner of the entire club… but I'm just a nobody. He probably sees tons of people who are all around better than me on a daily basis._

"Hey, don't you go off thinking negative thoughts," Liz said in a comforting tone, putting a hand on my shoulder. "He was totally into you the last time you saw each other!"

"He was not— forget it," I nearly shouted, opening my car door… only to slam it shut behind me as I stormed towards the door. Liz quickly followed suit, apologizing for taking the teasing too far.

When we got to the front door of the club, Liz suddenly whispered, "Shit!"

"What is it?" I queried, looking over at her with a concerned expression.

"I forgot to make reservations ahead of time!" Liz said, her head hanging in shame. "And with how popular this place is…"

"We'll be here all night just waiting to get in…" I finished for her, looking down sadly.

"Well, I wouldn't quite condone that," a smooth voice said from behind us. "After all, guests of honor shouldn't be made to wait. Just make sure to remember your passes next time, and I don't think you'll ever have this problem again."

Both Liz and I whipped our heads around to see the source of the familiar voice, coming face-to-face with a smiling Kazuto once more. In each hand, he held a golden necklace with the _Life of the Party's_ logo on it. When I took the one in his right hand, my hand brushed up against his, causing my cheeks to redden slightly. I bit back the urge to recite my mantra aloud as I looked the necklace over.

The first thing I noticed was that my necklace was slightly different from Liz's, as if they had been customized. The color of the engraved logo on mine matched my eyes, whereas the color of Liz's engraving matched her hair.

The second thing I noticed was a little hinge on the left side, almost completely unnoticeable due to the decorations around the logo. My fingers quickly traveled to the other side of the necklace, opening it up to reveal…

"That's my name…" I whispered in awe. "But it's in English…"

True to what I said, on the inside of the necklace, locket, whatever, was my given name in English.

"Sorry, is that not to your liking?" Kazuto queried, looking at me apologetically. "The guy I have custom make these engraves the names I give him in English unless I request otherwise, so… sorry."

I quickly shook my head once I regained my senses, not wanting to make him feel bad for another instant. "No, that's not it! I was just surprised, is all. This is amazing!"

"No kidding," Liz said, looking at us both smugly.

_You know it's not like that, Liz!_ I shouted in my mind, secretly glaring daggers at the pinkette. She either ignored it, or simply didn't notice.

I just barely heard him sigh in relief. Then, his usual smile returned, and he said, "Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go in!"

Once we got to the door, Kazuto prompted us to show our necklaces to the guards, and we were immediately let in. _I guess they're like all-access passes or something._

Walking into the club, I once again felt dance music fill my senses. I saw the chaotic dancing all around me, almost going to the floor and joining in before I noticed that Liz and Kirito were waiting on me. I quickly and embarrassedly caught up with them, but not before being forced to endure a space-out tease from Liz.

When we finally arrived at our old table, I found it to be empty, with a small sign resting on the tabletop.

_Reserved for the Club Demon and his friends_

"What's that all about?" I asked Kazuto, a curious expression on my face.

At this, Kazuto blushed lightly, (_Wait, what? Kazuto? Blushing? What?!_) putting his head in his hands. From in between his hands, he said, "Did Klein _seriously_ do that?"

I found the whole picture to be unbelievably cute for some reason. I swallowed a remark saying so, then asked, "Do what? And who's Klein?"

Kazuto then realized that both Liz and I were staring at him. He raised his head from his hands, giving us a nostalgic smile. "Klein's an old gaming buddy from when I used to play VRMMOs all the time. He works here, but he does the DJ work, so re rarely comes outside of his little station. If he came out of his station just for this, he must…"

Kazuto's face began to darken, becoming more akin to his eyes. It almost scared me, so I said, "Hey, you okay?"

In an instant, the ebony-haired boy's face returned to its normal, happy expression. He smiled somewhat nervously, reassuring us that he was fine.

Deciding that the subject should be changed, Liz pointed back to the sign, catching our attention. "So, who's the Club Demon?"

Kazuto, looking very relieved to talk about something different, said, "That's me. I'm usually very active on the dance floor, and apparently, I dance pretty well. That, combined with how I always dress in black," he said, waving his hands over his all-black attire. "Got me the nickname, 'Club Demon.'"

"Wow, you must come here a lot," Liz baited.

Kazuto, naïve as he was, took it easily. "Well, I am the…" or so we thought. He caught himself at the last moment, tensing up like he thought it would be the worst thing in the world for people to know he was the owner.

"Calm down," I said soothingly, putting a hand on his shoulder. "We already figured out that you own this place, and we're not going to tell anyone."

After hearing this, Kazuto relaxed, smiling gratefully. I took my hand off of his shoulder, but before I could fully retract it, he grabbed it with his own.

"Thank you."

Something about the way he said those two little words… it touched me. Somehow, I got the feeling that I had heard someone say those exact same words, the exact same way, long ago. When I looked into his eyes, for the first time since I had met him, they didn't look sad. Instead, they had one of the most sincere looks anyone had ever given me.

"N-no problem…" I said after he released my hand, a light dusting of pink on my cheeks. "Wait a minute. You said you're good at dancing, right?"

He gave me a smile. "Well, that's what everyone seems to say," he replied. "Why?"

"Let's test that," I said, grinning in turn. "Next time a fast-paced dance song comes on, we hit the floor."

"Is that a challenge?"

The smirk on his face sent shivers down my spine, making my heart flutter wildly. I resisted the urge to once again recite my mantra, and said, "You know it!"

Liz looked from me to Kazuto, a sly smirk on her face. "You two seem to be getting along quite nicely." Laughing when she saw the furious blush on my face, she turned to Kazuto for his nonverbal reply. What we saw, however, stopped both of us dead in our tracks.

He had a look of intense regret on his face, as if he had just realized that he committed a horrible deed. An act he was trying his damnedest _not_ to commit. It pained me to watch.

Soon enough, he realized what he must have looked like, so he smiled once more. Even so, I had never seen a smile that looked so forced. "Yeah, I guess we are," he said. Even the happy tone in his voice sounded fake.

Then, the music changed to a fast paced remix of one of my favorite songs, causing me to look over to Kazuto. He seemed to realize this, too, looking over to me. "Ready?" he queried, his regular smile returning.

"Always."

* * *

After at least an hour of dancing, Kazuto and I decided to rest for a bit. Walking back over to our table, we found no one there. _Where did Liz go?_ I thought, looking around for my pink-haired friend.

"Where's Liz?" Kazuto spoke my thoughts.

"Dunno," I replied, finishing my trek to our table. I fished out my phone from my jacket, which I had left on my seat, and found a text from Liz.

_Sorry, but I have to leave. My little cousins are apparently making a scene over at my house, and I've gotta make sure that they don't get into my room. I'm sure Kazuto won't mind taking you home, but still, sorry for doing this to you!_

I quickly texted out a reply, saying that apologies are meaningless if you don't feel remorse. I then turned to Kazuto, looking at him with an apologetic smile. "Apparently, Liz had a family crisis, so she left. And… I don't have a car, so would you mind taking me home when I need to go?"

"Nah, I don't mind," he replied, looking at his watch. He looked back up a second later, eyes wide just like the week before. "Sorry, but I need to go. Would it be okay if I took you home right now?"

"Sure," I said, though I couldn't stop myself from sounding disappointed. "I guess that's fine."

With that, we left the club.

* * *

As I rode in his car, watching the road ahead of us, I could feel the curiosity eating away at me. I wanted to know where he was going after taking me home. And so, after several minutes of debating, I finally decided to ask him. "Hey, Kazuto?"

"What is it?" he queried, keeping his eyes on the road.

"If it's not too personal, would you mind telling me where you're going after you take me home?"

Silence.

I was just about to apologize for asking when he suddenly spoke up. "I'm going to visit someone's… grave."

Of course, this only made me even more curious. "Who is it?"

"An old friend of mine," he said, his expression turning sorrowful. "She was a childhood friend. She was my world. But… I never realized it until it was too late. So I never told her how much she really meant to me. That's why…

"Every night, I visit her grave and tell her how much she means to me. Even though I know she can't hear me, it still gives me some semblance of comfort to know that I'm telling her how I feel."

"I see," I said flatly, voice dangerously close to cracking as the ache in my chest grew to unbearable levels.

I couldn't deny it any longer. There was just no point. I had to face facts. I had fallen for Kazuto… and it had happened in one week.

"Sorry for just dropping all that on you," he said, looking over to me with an apologetic smile. "It wasn't really fair of me."

"N-no, it's all right," I replied, doing my best to sound detached. I wasn't doing a very good job of it.

The rest of the car ride to my house was spent in silence.

* * *

When we arrived at my house, I opened the door, saying, "Thanks for the ride."

"Don't worry about it," he replied, smiling brightly. "Anyway, can I count on seeing you again?"

"Definitely!" I responded instantly, grinning happily despite the earlier events of the car ride. "Hey, Kazuto?"

"Hmm?" he hummed in response as I got out of the car.

"Do you think we could meet up outside of the club? Like, maybe…" I trailed off, trying to think of a good place and time. "Next Friday after I get off work?"

"Are you…" he queried, mentally connecting the dots. "Asking me out?"

There it was. I knew he would ask, but it didn't leave me any less unprepared. Not sure how to respond, I went on autopilot and said, "I guess, if you want it to be like that."

"I…" he started, looking down sadly. I could already tell what his response would be, and it tore me up on the inside. Still, I waited for him to finish. "I'm sorry," he finally said, his eyes looking even sadder than usual. "But I'm just not ready for a relationship yet. I like you, I really do. I might even like you that way, but it's just… I still can't move on from her. Sorry…"

"No, it's all right," I replied, sadness filling my voice as tears filled my eyes.

"But… if you can wait for me to move on, then I…" he said, causing me to look over to him in surprise. "I can try. But right now, I'm just not ready."

I smiled brightly in spite of the situation, happy that he was trying so hard. "Yeah. I'll wait as long as it takes."

"Thank you."

With that, we exchanged numbers, and parted for the night.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sorry if this felt a little rushed. I guess I just wanted to get to this point really badly for some reason. Anyway, what did you think. Did you like this chapter? Did you hate it? Be sure to let me know by leaving a review!**

**Also, I feel like I should inform my FESRFR followers that the next chapter is about sixty percent done. I'm positive that by the time it's over, its word count will be… wait for it… over nine-thousand!**

**Well, I guess that's about it for now! I'll just disclaim the chapter, and we can all get on with our lives!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything I use from them!**

**See you in the next chapter!**


	3. Chapter 2 5: A Text for a Letter

Life of the Party

Chapter Two Point Five: A Text for a Letter

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sorry for taking a little longer than usual to upload this chapter. Just a heads up, this is not an actual chapter. This is basically a letter sent from Kazuto to Asuna. She asked about his first love in a text, so he responded with a letter.**

**In case you're wondering when this takes place, it happens a few weeks after the events of chapter two. I shan't spoil you any more than I already have, so I'll stop talking now.**

**Enjoy! **

* * *

You wanted to know about her, right? Well, I guess I owe you that much for agreeing to wait for me to get over her. Sorry for not saying all this to you directly, but the wounds are still a little fresh, so I probably wouldn't be able to keep it together. Besides, you asked about it in a text, right? Anyway, onto the story.

I met her when I was twenty years old. Yeah, I lied. She wasn't a childhood friend, but it felt like we had known each other for years longer than we actually did. Anyway…

As usual, I was just hanging around at the _Life of the Party_. I had been there every night ever since I turned eighteen, when I was finally old enough to be in the club at night. At the time, my father owned it, and he wasn't exactly a rule stickler. Thus, between the ages of eighteen and twenty, I got to be in any area of the club but the bar area. But I digress.

I was in the middle of talking to one of the bartenders, Andrew (though I knew him as Agil), when I noticed a somewhat large group of people around my age enter the dancing area. It wasn't exactly common to see a group of four twenty-year-old boys and one girl walk in together, so they piqued my interest. I left my spot without a word, walking over to them and offering them all a drink. I still remember the response that the blond boy with the beanie gave me.

"What, are you some snobby rich kid?" he asked me without a hint of hesitation.

For a moment, I was speechless. No one had ever said something like that when I offered them a drink. Granted, I had only ever offered girls drinks up to that point, but it still shocked me that he would be so rude.

I wasn't exactly in the business of hiding that I was the heir to the club, so I told them flat-out that my dad was the owner. They must have taken it the wrong way, seeing as everyone else suddenly started apologizing to me in the blond boy's place. I figured that they thought I would kick them out for his comment, so I quickly told them that I wouldn't.

After that rocky start, they accepted my offer to get them all drinks. After all, they now knew that it wouldn't cause trouble for anyone's wallet. Introductions were made, and we soon found ourselves having a really fun time together.

Sadly, all good things must come to an end. Later that night, they said they had to leave. I bid them farewell, but not before asking if they would come back again, as I really enjoyed their company. They agreed to come the next week, much like you and Liz did. As I watched them go, I looked a little closer at each of them. Only one really caught my attention, and I'm pretty sure you know who it was already.

The girl.

If you hadn't guessed already, the girl from the group is the same girl you asked about. The girl who haunts my dreams, the girl whose grave I visit every night.

Ahem. Back to the story.

The girl was… beautiful. She had midnight-blue hair that came down to her shoulders, cobalt-blue eyes, a nice figure, and what seemed like an eternal smile.

Anyway, time-skip to the next week. When they arrived, things went similar to the last week. We got drinks, we drank, we went to the dance floor and had a fun time dancing, and so on. This pattern continued for several weeks, with them gradually coming more and more often. With each time they came, I got to know them a little more, and vice versa.

One week, as I was waiting for them all to show up, only one came. Who was it? You guessed it: the girl. She told me that everyone else had something to do, and that she was the only one who could come. She apologized for that, and I told her that she didn't need to apologize since it wasn't her fault. She still seemed a little nervous, so I asked her what was wrong. She started blushing, so I decided to tease her a little.

I asked her why her face was so flushed when we hadn't even started drinking yet. That got her riled up a little; she had always been a fiery one. After some playful banter, we decided to hit the bar. This gave me an idea. You see, she had always been the type to tell the truth when drunk, no matter what she was asked, or so I was told by her friends. I had never seen her get drunk, since she never drank enough to do so when we all got together.

And so, I ordered us drinks. Agil was happy to serve us, seeing as he had never seen me alone with just one girl before. He must have thought that we were a couple or something. I guess he really wasn't that far off, since out of her group of friends, I had become the closest to her.

Since the girl was inexperienced in the types of alcohol, I ordered a really strong kind, though it still tasted good. Since I can hold an impossible amount off liquor without getting even slightly drunk, much like you can, I was still sober by our third drink, which was the one that finally got the girl drunk to the point that she would probably start to answer my questions.

So I asked her about earlier, how she seemed so nervous when she first got here. The response I got… well, it shocked me, to say the least.

"Because I like you."

Now, I'm not really the dense type. I can easily tell when someone has feelings for me. Somehow, though, I had completely missed any and all signs that pointed towards _her_ having those feelings for me. That had never happened before, and it kind of scared me. Still, it didn't really take long for me to figure out why.

I liked her, too.

I had never liked anyone before her, so I must have totally misread the signs coming from both me _and_ her. I felt like such a moron because of it.

It was then that I realized that she had tears in her eyes. I quickly asked her what was wrong, and she responded by apologizing. She got up to leave, but before she could get out of my reach, I grabbed her wrist. I remember telling her that she was drunk, and that she wouldn't be able to go home like that. She apparently lived very close to the club, so she probably didn't drive there, but I was still worried about her safety because of her drunkenness. I offered to drive her home, to which she reluctantly accepted.

The short drive to her house was agonizingly silent. Once we got to her house, I asked her if she meant what she said about liking me. I still remember her response, since it almost broke my heart to listen to it.

"Yes. I'm sorry… I know you see girls a that are prettier, smarter, and all-around better than me every da—"

"Next Sunday. Maybe we could catch a movie?"

Before she could finish, I cut her off with that. Her eyes widened, and even in her drunken state, I could tell she knew understood what my offer meant. She smiled broadly, quickly agreeing before opening my car door to leave. But before she got out, she said one last thing.

"Thank you."

After that, she leaned in quickly, touching her lips to my cheek for the faintest of moments. When she pulled back, she was giving me the brightest smile I had ever seen on her. I smiled back, and she got out of the car, bidding me farewell for the night.

That was the beginning of our relationship. Sadly, it was also the end.

The next Sunday, just before we were supposed to meet up for a movie, I got a call from Keita, the pack leader of their little group of friends. He said something happened to Sachi (the name of the girl. I completely forgot to say her actual name up until now, didn't I?). I panicked. I frantically asked him what happened, and he told me to meet him at the front door to the city's main hospital.

I sped all the way over to the hospital. Luckily, I didn't get caught by a police officer. When I met Keita at the door, he told me to come with him. He led me to her hospital room, where I ran over to her bedside and asked her what happened.

Apparently, she had been walking to our meeting spot when someone ran into her. She could barely speak, and it broke my heart to see her in such pain. She said that Keita had apparently been in the area, and he saw what happened. He was the one who brought her to the hospital, and she told him to call me.

She apologized, telling me that the doctors told her she didn't have long to live, and she probably wouldn't survive the rest of the day. She said she loved me, and that she didn't want me to stay hung up on her. Soon after she said that, she started to close her eyes, her breathing getting slower and slower, until finally, it stopped.

She was dead. I never even got to tell her that I loved her, too.

For the first time in years, I broke into tears. I sobbed and sobbed, not stopping until I had no more tears left to cry. After several hours, when I finally got up, I heard Keita apologize to me. He said that if he had been there sooner, she might have lived. I told him that it wasn't his fault. Oh, how wrong I was.

Several days later, and I hadn't gone to the club once. No one had seen me, and I didn't want to see anyone. I had stayed in my room the whole time, and not even my father would go in. He left me food by my bedroom door, but that's it.

When I woke up that morning, I found that the blond boy of the group had texted me. At first, I didn't want to read it. But then, after an hour, I realized that he might know when her funeral would be. So I read his text. It wasn't about her funeral. No, it was even more painful.

He said he knew who the killer was.

I remember thinking, 'Killer? I thought she died from a car accident.' Nonetheless, I wasted no time getting myself presentable. I had to see him. I had to find out what he meant.

I hoofed it to his house, which he had given me the address of in his text. As it turned out, he didn't live that far from my own house, so I went on foot.

When I got there, he welcomed me in. He offered to get me some snacks, but I declined. I told him that I didn't care to exchange pleasantries, and I wanted to know who the supposed 'killer' was. And so, he began telling me about the killer.

Allegedly, the killer had loved Sachi for a long time. He got jealous when he heard that Sachi loved me, and when he found out that we were going to be going out, he snapped. He saw her on her way to meet me on the day of what would have been our first date, and he couldn't control himself. He ran into her with his car. Finally, he told me the killer's name.

It was Keita.

At first, I didn't believe the blond. The story was just so ridiculous. But then, when I thought back to all of Keita's negative expressions and reactions when he saw me and Sachi getting close, what the blond said made perfect sense.

After that, I left his house without another word. I went straight over to Keita's house, since he lived close to the blond.

I was the angriest I had been in years. I seriously wanted to kill Keita. When I got to his house, I rang the doorbell. I quickly regained my composure, waiting for him to open the door and let me in. When he did, as soon as he closed the door behind him, I punched him right in the face. And I kept on hitting him, constantly shouting death threats. He had killed my first love, and I wouldn't let him get away with it. I would send him to a special place in hell reserved for him.

But then, right as I was about to hit him hard enough to knock him out, I stopped. I realized that if I killed him, then I wouldn't be any better than he was. So I stopped hitting him. I walked back to the front door, telling him one thing.

"If you don't tell the authorities about this, then I won't tell them that you murdered an innocent girl."

After that, I left. I never saw any of the group of friends again.

After a few days, when her funeral was over, I started visiting her grave every night. Even after two years, not a single day has gone by that I haven't visited her grave and told her how I felt. That I loved her, that I would never forget her, that I would see her in the afterlife.

Well, I guess that's it. That's our story. I you managed to read this far, then thanks for listening, and I'll see you next week at my club.

* * *

**A/N:**

**Sad, I know. Hopefully, you guys were able to read through this whole thing without skimming anything. Also, sorry about it not being focused on Asuna, or even having any Kirisuna moments in it. I swear, this won't happen anymore in this story.**

**Anyway, I thought I should inform everyone here that I'm almost done with the first chapter of yet another action-based story. I think I'll give everyone here a preview before I leave you to your lives. Without further ado, here it is!**

* * *

I looked around the flaming streets with tears in my eyes, watching as everything I knew burned to the ground. In a few short hours, nothing would be left of the city I once loved. I felt powerless, helpless in the time when my family and friends needed me the most…

And I couldn't save them.

The man standing before me had caused all this. He set fire to the entire city with his magic, killed everyone there with his two swords. He only left me alive.

"Why?!" I shouted at the man in front of me. "Ten years ago, you saved the world, right? So why?! Why are you destroying this city?! You killed everyone!"

"Wake up and open your eyes. The city you saw isn't the city you lived in. Everything here is stunningly fake."

That was the response I got from this man, the «Twin-Sword Savior» that saved the world from ruin ten years prior.

Kazuto.

"Then why didn't you kill me?" I whispered sadly, tears streaming down my face.

"Because you are real."

* * *

**Well, I guess that's it! I'll just disclaim this thing, and we can all get on with our daily lives!**

**I don't own the Sword Art Online light novel series, any of its adaptations, or anything I use from them!**

**See ya in chapter three!**


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